How did I become my father? I believe men have asked themselves this question time and again as they look in the mirror in the morning. Or when I say something or do something that I swore I would never say or do to my kids. Yet, the face I shave looks remarkably like the man standing in family
photos some 30 years ago, and my wife and children find distinct pleasure telling me "you are just like your father."
I embrace this today and apply many of the lessons learned from the old man, and do my best to improve on the life lessons he taught over the years. However, I confess I am remiss in an area that gives me great concern. Financial literacy and understanding the language of money is something I had to learn on my own. I have not shared this knowledge well because I was taught it's impolite to talk about money. With two kids in college, the only thing I can talk about is the lack of it!
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Students today are more advanced than my generation in so many ways, yet the basic principles of finance, saving for a rainy day and debt management, are not on the curriculum of any of my children's schools. They should be. And we can thank the local credit unions for bringing awareness to the table.
Our children are getting a terrific education, and I firmly believe the credit union initiative to bring these basics into schools needs to be supported. I see in the pages of our publication and Daily News Alerts how credit unions are driving this initiative forward with classes for students and young professionals. Kudos to you and the management team. Keep sending the press releases and statistics on how you are growing your membership through these efforts. Perhaps your success will be contagious, and the grassroots approach will continue.
I've done it again. I'm sounding just like my dad: sounding off about how the kids today do not have the education they need to survive in the outside world. The good news is credit unions are doing something about it.
–Thomas R. Greve
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